Share this story:

MILWAUKEE (AP) | A conservative candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court whose views on gay rights have come under scrutiny said Wednesday the criticism he’s received is an unfair attack on his faith.

State Appeals Court Judge Brian Hagedorn blamed his opponents for making his personal beliefs part of his candidacy and insisted that he would be an impartial justice. Hagedorn is an evangelical Christian who helped start a private school where students can be expelled for being gay.

Share this story:

Inclusion is a core value shared by many summer camps, and in recent years there’s been a lot of discussion in the camp community about how to help transgender and gender-nonconforming youth succeed.

Tom Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer of the American Camp Association, says the group is doing more every year to support camps that want to be more welcoming to kids of all identities. “Our goal is to offer expert educational support for camps that wish to welcome transgender kids, and also to really learn more and develop the culture of their camp to be more inclusive,” he says.

Share this story:

With Democrats in control of the New York Senate for the first time in a decade, lawmakers on Jan. 15 sent to the desk of Gov. Andrew Cuomo two long-awaited pro-LGBT measures — one banning widely discredited “ex-gay” conversion therapy, the other banning anti-transgender discrimination.

The New York Senate approved the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which amends the New York Human Rights Law to ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, public spaces and education, by a vote of 42-19. The Assembly later approved the legislation by a 100-40 vote.

Share this story:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) | A Wisconsin board that oversees insurance for state employees has voted to restore coverage for sex reassignment procedures for transgender workers.

The Group Insurance Board voted 5-4 Wednesday to cover sex reassignment surgery and related treatments for transgender people seeking to match their sex to their gender identity, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Sex reassignment surgery will be covered for state workers starting Jan. 1.

Share this story:

When the smoke of the Wisconsin primary cleared on Tuesday night, one thing became clear: The opponent of Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in November will be State Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Milwaukee County).

In a primary with the Steve Bannon-backed Kevin Nicholson, Vukmir — the established candidate backed by the state Republican Party machine — won a plurality of 49 percent of the vote compared to the 42 percent Nicholson won.

Share this story:

MILWAUKEE (AP) | A former Marquette University professor who wrote a blog post criticizing a student instructor he believed shut down debate against gay marriage shouldn’t have lost his job because of what he published, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on July 6.

The 120-page decision concluded that the private Catholic school breached its contract with professor John McAdams that guaranteed academic freedom and that he should be immediately reinstated. The university said it would comply with the ruling.

Share this story:

An agreement was reached to withdraw a petition pending before the Supreme Court that could have established a nationwide rule on whether transgender kids are entitled to use school restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

The petition, filed by Kenosha School District in Wisconsin, sought to challenge a ruling from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Ash Whitaker, a transgender high school student seeking to use the restroom consistent with his gender identity. It was the first-time ever a federal appeals court reached that decision.

Resources

Login

About Us

Watermark is a multi-faceted media company using opportunities and innovations to communicate and advance LGBT interests, with a corporate emphasis on professionalism while building strong relationships with our readers, customers and community.

Watermark Media was founded by Tom Dyer in Orlando in 1994, and expanded to Tampa Bay in 1995. Dyer is an attorney, former board member of the Metropolitan Business Association and Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and current advisory board member of the Harvey Milk Foundation.

Watermark prints up to 20,000 copies every other Thursday, and distributes them in more than 500 locations throughout Orlando, Tampa Bay, Sarasota and throughout the state. The newspaper donates more than $200,000 annually in free and sponsor advertising to worthy local and national LGBT non-profits.

Watermarkonline.com was launched in 1999. The award-winning newspaper currently maintains offices in Tampa Bay and Orlando and employs a full-time staff of 12, along with several part-time and freelance contributors.

Watermark Publishing Group, founded by publisher Rick Claggett, purchased Watermark in January of 2016. Rick Claggett is a long-time employee of Watermark Media and former board member of both the Metropolitan Business Association and Come Out With Pride.Read More...